Impairment of motor coordination and interneuron migration in perinatal exposure to glufosinate-ammonium

Abstract

Glufosinate-ammonium (GLA) is a broad-spectrum herbicide for agricultural weed control and crop desiccation. Due to many GLA-resistant crops being developed to effectively control weeds and increase harvest yields, herbicide usage and the residual GLA in food has increased significantly. Though perinatal exposure by the residual GLA in food might affect brain development, the developmental neurotoxicity of GLA is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of perinatal exposure to GLA on cortical development. The analysis revealed that perinatal GLA exposure altered behavioral changes in offspring, especially motor functional behavior. Moreover, perinatal GLA exposure affected cortical development, particularly by disrupting interneuron migration. These results provide new evidence that early life exposure to GLA alters cortical development.